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Competition Can Be Kind

Published

January 17, 2012

Shalane Flanagan, Desi Davila, and Kara Goucher at the finish line in Houston. Photo via Victah Sailer, Photo Run

By Michelle HamiltonLike many fans watching the Olympic Marathon Trials, I got emotional. Not just because the gutsy performances from our favorite elite runners were a thing of beauty, but because of the way these top athletes treated each other.Ryan Hall, after a near collision with Abdi Abdirahman, stretched an arm out toward him as if to say, “Hey, sorry man.” I couldn’t help but recall the image of a professional football player stomping on his opponent’s arm during a Thanksgiving Day football game.Then, as Hall crossed the finish 22 seconds after Meb Keflezighi, he pointed at his former teammate, celebrating his win as much Hall’s own victory. The three who made the team embraced fourth-place Dathan Ritzenhein—no doubt feeling his pain—but also gave him the space a man crying on national television likely needed.On the women’s side, Deena acknowledged her disappointment at her sixth-place finish, but promptly said how proud she was of these “girls.” It was the right thing to say, but she didn’t have to say it. She could have dissected her race, offered a few excuses. I thought of the showboating I hear when my husband is watching the NBA.One of my favorite moments during the Trials was watching the lead men and women talk to each other on the course, as well as the exchange of hoots between the slower women and Meb as he lapped them just before winning. Call me idealistic, but that kind of camaraderie is exactly what sportsmanship should look like.I recognize many elite runners are friends, teammates, and training partners, but support and respect are the ethos of our sport. Yes, sportsmanship exists across all disciplines if you look for it, but in distance running, you don’t need a magnifying glass to find it. You see it at press conferences, in age-group competition, in ultrarunning circles, and on the sidelines of every marathon and every road race in the nation.And it’s not confined to our borders. Late last fall at a clinic in northern California, Ryan Hall answered a question about the Kenyans by saying that his competitors are not his enemies; when they race well, they push him to excel.Britain’s Paula Radcliffe—who happens to be good friends with third-place winner Kara Goucher—tweeted after the Trials: “Congrats to Meb, Ryan and Abdi…big hug to Dathan.” Think about that. A top professional athlete publically sending a virtual hug to another top professional athlete. What other sport would that happen in?Don’t get me wrong; there’s nothing soft about these runners. They’re as gritty, aggressive, and ferocious as any top athletes out there. In competition, they’re out to break each other. That’s tactics. That’s excellence. That’s sport. But these runners show us that fierce competition doesn’t require nastiness. In fact, it can be downright heartwarming.Call it sportsmanship. Or respect. Even kindness. By any name, we need more of it in the sporting world.Michelle Hamilton is a Runner’s World contributing editor and freelance writer based in the Bay Area.

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